09.04.09 - RWANDA/GREAT BRITAIN - LONDON TURNS DOWN EXTRADITION OF FOUR GENOCIDE-ACCUSED RWANDANS

Arusha, 9 April 2009 (FH) - A British Court Wednesday turned down extradition of four high ranking Rwandans accused of 1994 genocide, reports the AFP.

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The four are: Emmanuel Nteziryayo, former Mayor of Mudasomwa (southern Rwanda), Celestin Ugirashebuja, former Mayor of Kigoma (southern Rwanda), Charles Munyaneza, former Mayor of Kinyamakara (southern Rwanda) and Vincent Bajinya, former alleged militia leader, deny any responsibility.

They were arrested on 28 December, 2006 in different locations in Britain.

Bajinya, a doctor by training, had also succeeded in obtaining British citizenship, under the name of Vincent Brown.

The High Court of London in its decision claimed that the four accused will not get fair trial if they were to be tried by Rwandan courts, according to AFP dispatch. The accused have pleaded not guilty.

The accused are wanted in Kigali for genocide, complicity to commit genocide, crimes against humanity, conspiracy in order to commit murders, as well as various acts of destruction and plundering.

The genocide, committed from April to July 1994 by Hutu extremists, resulted, according to the UN, in an approximately 800, 000 deaths, primarily ethnic Tutsis.

However, Kigali estimates the number of victims to be at least a million.

Rwanda has persistently stated that its judiciary was capable of trying the Rwanda genocide suspects.

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